Apparatuses, methods, computer programming, and propagated signals for modeling motion in computer applications

• US 6,714,201 B1
• Filed: 04/14/2000
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3D Open Motion, LLC
• Original Assignee: 3D Open Motion, LLC
• Inventors: Southard, David A., Lee, John Peter, Leger, Jeffrey R., Grinstein, Georges G., MacPherson, Bradford E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancuso, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arnold, Adam
• Application Number:
  US09/550,080
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 345/474, 700/61
• US Class Current: 345/474
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2213/04 Animation description language

Abstract

A hierarchical 3D graphics model can be viewed as a hierarchical graph of its nodes and their associated motions, with the mathematical type of motions graphically indicated. A user can click on a displayed motion to edit it. A motion API provides one or more of the following features: (1) spatial predicate functions; (2) functions for scaling motion intensity; (3) classes for shake, spin, and swing motions; (4) motion classes with a GUI interfaced for defining their duty cycle; (5) functions for defining and computing 0^th through 2^nd order derivatives of 3D position and orientation as function of time; (6) behaviors that constrain motions by boundaries in which the constraint is a reflection, clamp, andor onto constraint, or in which the boundary is a composite boundary. Motions can be defined by successive calls to an API and then be saved in a file.

Claims

1. A computerized method of creating animation comprising:

storing a representation of a 3D graphic model containing a plurality of model nodes, in which nodes can be related to each other in a parent-child hierarchy in which each node can be a parent node and/or a child node and in which the spatial attributes of each child node is defined relative to the spatial attributes of a corresponding parent node;

storing a plurality of motions, each associated with a corresponding node in said graphic model, and each having associated with it a definition of at least a position and an orientation spatial attribute value each defined in terms of a mathematical functions of time;

generating an animated view of the given model in which the given model is rendered at each of a succession of time values with individual ones of the model'"'"'s nodes being shown in each successive rendering as having a position and orientation determined as a function of the value for the rendering'"'"'s corresponding time value of the position and orientation values defined by the node'"'"'s associated motion; and

providing a point-and-click graphical user interface which includes one or more model graph controls which displays a graphical representation of said graphic model, including;

one or more tree graphs showing a visual representation of each model node and of the parent-child relationships between any such nodes;

a visual representation of each motion associated with one of said of nodes at a spatial location corresponding to said associated node;

one or more motion selecting controls for enabling a user to select a given motion by clicking on the visual representation of the given motion in the model graph; and

motion-editing controls for enabling a user to vary the selected motion;

wherein the visual representation of a motion in the model graph provides information about the one or more mathematical function of time which the motion uses to define one or more spatial attributes.

2. A computerized method of performing 3D animation using a motion API comprising:

storing, outside of the motion API, a representation of a graphics model including of one or more model nodes, each of which nodes includes its own 3D graphic model and each of which model nodes has a position and an orientation, at least one of which can change relative to others of said model nodes;

separately calling the motion API to define a 3D motion in association with each of said model nodes, each of which motions defines at least a position and orientation as mathematical functions of time;

performing the following for each of a succession of video display frame times;

calling the API to determine the position and orientation defined by each of said motions as of the frame time; and

updating the position and/or orientation, respectively, of the each model node as a function of the position and/or orientation determined by the API for the frame time; and

rendering the graphics model with the model'"'"'s individual nodes having said updated position and/or orientation for the frame time.

3. A computerized method as in claim 2 further including:

separately calling the motion API to cause it to produce a version of a motion which can be recorded to a mass storage device; and

storing such a version of a motion on a mass storage device.

4. A computerized method as in claim 2 further including:

separately calling the motion API to define a 3D constraint surface;

separately calling the motion API to define a spatial predicate for a motion which generate an event when a given spatial relationship between the position represented by motion has a given spatial relationship to the constraint surface; and

when the API is called to determine the position and orientation defined by each of said motions as of a frame time, the API also determines if a motion having said spatial predicate has said given spatial relationship to the constraint surface and, if so, the API generates said event.

5. An object-oriented API in the form of a computer program recorded in a machine-readable memory structure, said API comprising:

a plurality of pre-defined motion classes, each of which has associated functions for creating and defining an instance of its 3D motion class, each of which motion instances defines a trajectory of position and orientation in a 3D space as a mathematical function of time; and

one or more functions for calculating and providing updated values for at least the position and orientation of any instances of any motion classes defined by said API;

wherein said pre-defined motion classes include at least the following three basic pre-defined motion classes;

an oscillating translation motion class, which defines a composite motion which repeatedly performs the following;

translating the motion'"'"'s position a first distance in a first direction; and

then translating the motion'"'"'s position a second distance in a second direction;

a rotation motion class, which defines a motion which rotates the motion'"'"'s associated orientation in a direction about a given axis over a given angular distance; and

a oscillating rotation motion class, which defines a composite motion which repeatedly performs the following;

rotating the motion'"'"'s orientation in a first direction about a first axis over a first angular distance; and

then rotating the motion'"'"'s orientation in a second direction about a second axis over a second angular distance.

6. An object-oriented API as in claim 5 wherein said pre-defined motion classes further include as one of said basic pre-defined motion classes a translation motion class, which defines a motion which translates the motion'"'"'s associated position a given distance in a given direction.

7. An object-oriented API as in claim 5 wherein in the pre-defined oscillating translation motion class the first and second distances are the same and the first and second directions are opposite.

8. An object-oriented API as in claim 5 wherein in the pre-defined oscillating rotation motion class the first and second distances and axes are the same and the first and second directions are opposite.

9. An API as in claim 5 which provides expressions for adding or subtracting the respective positions and orientations of each of two or more instances of said pre-defined motion classes to define, respectively, the position and orientation of a third instance of a pre-defined motion class as a function of time.

10. An API as in claim 5 which provides expressions for defining the position and orientation of one instance of a pre-defined motion class as a function of the position and orientation of another instance of a predefined motion class multiplied by the value of a multiplicative expression.

11. An API as in claim 10 wherein said multiplicative expression is a variable function of time.

12. An API as in claim 11 wherein said multiplicative expression is a function of a spatial attribute value, such as position or orientation, defined by an instance of a pre-defined motion class as a function of time.

13. An API as in claim 5 further including with said API a graphical user interface which has one or more motion-creation controls which enable a user to select to create an instance of a selected one of said four motion classes through a point-and-click interaction.

14. An API as in claim 13 wherein said user interface includes one or more motion editing controls which enable a user to select the direction, distance, and speed, of a the trajectory of position and/or orientation defined by an instance of a motion class created through said interface.

15. An API as in claim 14 wherein said user interface includes one or more save-motion controls which enable a user to save an instance of a predefined motion class under a new label.

16. An API as in claim 13 wherein said user interface includes one or more composite motion editing controls which enable a user to define said trajectories of an instance of a pre-defined motion class, as a succession of trajectories defined by a corresponding succession of previously defined instances of one or more motion classes, by selectively placing symbolic representations of said previously defined motion instances into a sequential list of such motion instances which define the composite motions.

17. An object-oriented API in the form of computer programming recorded in a machine-readable memory structure, said API comprising:

at least one pre-defined motion class which has associated functions for creating and defining an instance of its 3D motion class, each of which motion instances defines a trajectory of position and orientation in a 3D space as a function of time; and

one or more functions for calculating and providing updated values for the position and orientation of any instances of any motion classes defined by said API;

wherein said API include one or more pre-defined functions which can be called to cause the function of time which defines a motion instance'"'"'s trajectories to include one or more time cycles in which movement takes place in one or more of said trajectories only during a selected portion of each such cycle; and

wherein said API further includes a graphical user interface having one or more time-rate controls which enable a user to select a ratio between the duration of said selected portion of each cycle during which said movement takes place and the remaining portion of each cycle during which said movement does not take place.

18. An API in the form of computer programming recorded in a machine-readable memory structure, said API comprising:

one or more functions for creating and defining one or more 3D motions, each of which defines at least a position and an orientation in a 3D space as one or more functions of time; and

one or more functions for calculating and providing updated values for a motion'"'"'s position and orientation at successive values of time as defined by said motion'"'"'s one or more functions of time;

wherein;

said functions for defining 3D motions include a set of one or more predefined functions which enable a selected one of the 0th, ¹st, and 2^nd derivatives of either position or orientation to be defined as a mathematical expression of time in one function call; and

said functions for calculating and providing updated values for the position and orientation of a 3D motion at successive values of time include a set of one or more pre-defined functions which returns a selected one of the 0th, 1^st, and 2^nd derivatives of either position and orientation in one function call.

19. An API as in claim 18 wherein:

said API is an object oriented API;

said 3D motions are instances of motion object classes; and

the motion object class has a separate pre-defined method for defining each of the 0^th, 1^st, and 2^nd derivatives of position and orientation.

20. An API as in claim 18 wherein:

said 3D motions also define a 3D scaling value as a function of time;

said functions for defining a 3D motion include a set of one or more pre-defined functions which enable a selected one of the 0th, 1^st, and 2^nd derivatives of scaling to be defined as a mathematical expression of time in one function call; and

said API further includes functions for providing updated values for the scaling value of a 3D motion at successive values of time, including a set of one or more pre-defined functions which returns a selected one of the 0th, 1^st, and 2^nd derivatives of such scaling value in one function call.

21. An API as in claim 18 wherein:

said 3D motions also define a 3D shearing value as a function of time;

said functions for defining a 3D motion include a set of one or more pre-defined functions which enable a selected one of the 0th, 1^st, and 2^nd derivatives of shearing to be defined as a mathematical expression of time in one fuction call; and

said API further includes functions for providing updated values for the shearing value of a 3D motion at successive values of time, including a set of one or more pre-defined functions which returns a selected one of the 0th, 1^st, and 2^nd derivatives of such shearing value in one function call.

22. An API as in claim 18 wherein the mathematical expression used to define the 0^th, 1^st, or 2^nd derivative of one 3D motion can include one or more of said pre-defined functions which returns a selected one of the 0^th, 1^st, or 2^nd derivative of another 3D motion.

23. An API as in claim 18 wherein said functions for defining a 3D motion include a function for defining a finite state machine as a set of one or more condition/action pairs, each of which includes a conditional statement which if true causes its corresponding action statement to be called, and in which the action statements can include said pre-defined function which enable a selected one of the 0^th, 1^st, and 2^nd derivatives of either position and or orientation to be defined, so that which of a motion'"'"'s derivatives of position and/or orientation is currently selected to be defined by a mathematical expression of time, and what mathematical expression of time is used to define that selected derivative, can be varied as a function of changing conditions.

24. An API in the form of computer programming recorded in a machine-readable memory structure, said API comprising:

one or more functions for creating and defining one or more 3D motions, each of which defines at least a position and an orientation in a 3D space as one or more functions of time;

one or more functions for defining a 3D boundary in said 3D space having a 3D surface; and

one or more functions for calculating and providing updated values for the position and orientation of a 3D motion at successive values of time;

wherein said functions for defining a 3D motion include a pre-defined function for constraining such a 3D motion trajectory by said 3D boundary; and

wherein said pre-defined function for constraining a 3D motion'"'"'s trajectory includes a pre-defined function for causing a motion'"'"'s trajectory to reflect off a 3D boundary'"'"'s surface.

25. An API in the form of computer programming recorded in a machine-readable memory structure, said API comprising:

one or more functions for creating and defining one or more 3D motions, each of which defines at least a position and an orientation in a 3D space as one or more functions of time;

one or more functions for defining a 3D boundary in said 3D space having a 3D surface; and

one or more functions for calculating and providing updated values for the position and orientation of a 3D motion at successive values of time;

wherein said functions for defining a 3D motion include a pre-defined function for constraining such a 3D motion trajectory by said 3D boundary; and

wherein said pre-defined function for constraining a 3D motion trajectory includes a pre-defined function for causing a 3D motion'"'"'s trajectory to be constrained so the trajectory cannot pass through the boundary'"'"'s surface.

26. An API in the form of computer programming recorded in a machine-readable memory structure, said API comprising:

one or more functions for creating and defining one or more 3D motions, each of which defines at least a position and an orientation in a 3D space as one or more functions of time;

one or more functions for defining a 3D boundary in said 3D space having a 3D surface; and

one or more functions for calculating and providing updated values for the position and orientation of a 3D motion at successive values of time;

wherein said functions for defining a 3D motion include a pre-defined function for constraining such a 3D motion trajectory by said 3D boundary; and

wherein said pre-defined function for constraining a 3D motion trajectory includes a pre-defined function for causing a 3D motion'"'"'s trajectory to be constrained to motion along the boundary'"'"'s surface.

27. An API in the form of computer programming recorded in a machine-readable memory structure, said API comprising:

one or more functions for creating and defining one or more 3D motions, each of which defines at least a position and an orientation in a 3D space as one or more functions of time;

one or more functions for defining a 3D boundary in said 3D space having a 3D surface; and

one or more functions for calculating and providing updated values for the position and orientation of a 3D motion at successive values of time;

wherein said functions for defining a 3D motion include a pre-defined function for constraining such a 3D motion trajectory by said 3D boundary; and

wherein;

said one or more functions for defining a 3D boundary includes functions enabling a user to define a boundary as a composite of 3D shapes; and

said function for constraining a 3D motion by said boundary includes programming to constrain the motion by such a boundary defined as a composite of shapes.

28. An API in the form of computer programming recorded in a machine-readable memory structure, said API comprising:

one or more functions for creating and defining one or more 3D motions, each of which defines at least a position and an orientation in a 3D space as one or more functions of time;

one or more functions for defining a 3D boundary in said 3D space having a 3D surface; and

one or more functions for calculating and providing updated values for the position and orientation of a 3D motion at successive values of time;

wherein said functions for defining a 3D motion include a pre-defined spatial predicate function for returning either a true or false value as a function of a spatial relationship between one of said 3D motions and one of said 3D boundaries.

29. An API as in claim 28 which further includes a function for determining if a given function of time is used to define a motion'"'"'s position or orientation based on the value of a predicate function, which can be one of said spatial predicate functions.

30. An API as in claim 28 wherein:

said API includes functions enabling a user to define one of said 3D boundaries as a composite boundary that is defined as a composite of 3D shapes, and which has a composite surface which is defined by said composite of shapes;

said predicate function is a single pre-defined function which includes programming for returning either a true or false value as a function of a spatial relationship between one of said 3D motions and the composite surface of said a composite boundary.

31. An API in the form of computer programming recorded in a machine-readable memory structure, said API comprising:

one or more functions for creating and defining one or more 3D motions, each of which defines at least a position and an orientation in a 3D space as one or more functions of time; and

one or more functions for calculating and providing updated values for the position and orientation of a 3D motion at successive values of time;

wherein said functions for creating and defining a 3D motion include a function for defining a motion'"'"'s position or orientation as a variable multiple of a mathematical expression of time, in which the variable multiple, itself, also is a function of time.

32. An API in the form of computer programming recorded in a machine-readable memory structure, said API comprising:

one or more functions for creating one or more 3D motions, each of which defines at least a position and an orientation in a 3D space as one or more functions of time; and

one or more functions for altering the definition of one of said 3D motions;

one or more functions for calculating and providing updated values for a motion'"'"'s position and orientation at successive values of time as defined by said motion'"'"'s one or more functions of time; and

one or more functions enabling a motion which has been created and altered by a plurality of calls to API to be output by said API in a form suitable for storage on a mass storage device.